Machine for manufacturing articles from sheet material



p l 22, 1930- J. H. RICHARDSON I ,1 A

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING ARTICLES FROM SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 11, 1926 V Fig.1

Patented 1 Apr. 2 2, 19 30 LUNITEQDPISTATES' JOHN H. RICHARD-SCH, or MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNoR. To UNITED'SHOE "MACHINE Y CORPORATION, or IE'ATEBSON, NEW JnnsEY, A 'GORIBORATIONOF NEW I JERSEY" MAcHi'Nn ronlMANUiaAcTIinine nairictnsl rnolyrsnnnr MATERIAL Y Annam ria Au ust n-193e, SerialN'o. 128, 29.

' This inventionrrelates t'oimachines' .for'

manufacturing articles from: sheet material degreesofbeveIu OHa blank An objection p to the use'of dies of this type is that the varia to the and isherein exemplified 'in its application preparation of heel liftsfor boots and Shoes. V (I c I Heretofore,considerable difliculty has been experienced in dieingeout articles or blanks from'f sheetlmaterial where the required blanks comprise lateral surfaces extending at different inclinations with-respect to the top and'bottom-faces-of the articles; Typicalexamples of such articles are top-'lift's'forjheels of boots and shoes, and built-up heels composedof heel lifts inwhich such top-lifts or 1 heel-lifts havebeveled side and'back edge 7 7 portions and a breast edge portion substantiallyperpendicular to a face of the lift.

machines ,forproducing blanksl of the type referred to, use has been made of dies havingflexible. cutting edges, which, inoperation upon sheet material, :are "caused to expand 1n such manner as to produce 'dlflerent tion in the amount of bevel which-can be pro- ,duc'ed on different portions of the lateral sure for operating upon sheet material for pro-' faces'ofa blank is limited, and, consequently,

the resultant blanks are not uniform in char acterJ Also, where use has been made of dies comprisingcurved as well as straight cutting edges, it has been found difficult to produce 7 perfect blanks due to the irregular action of r the dies atjthe 'junctures of the curved and straight edges. I

Accordingly, an object of the present 1nvention isto provide'an improved machine ducing blanks having lateral surfaces extend ing at various angles with respect to the top and bottom surfacesof the blanks.

To this end, and as illustrated, theinvention provides mechanism comprising a cutting block provided with a 'curvedsurface, and a die relativelymovableto effect the dieing-out operation, the cutting block operat-- ing to deform rubber orother sheet material positioned in operativerelation tothe die and being effective upon relative movement of the cutting block and the die to causethe mate- 'rial to be held thus deformed as it is forced I in which the invention isembodied; Fig.2 is a perspective view, partly in secagainst the cutting edges of the die to, sever a blank therefrom. Asillustrated,'the die is formed with cutting edges of di'fiierent'cu'rvatures conforming to the curvature of 'the'cutting blo'ck which operates to bend'unequally ered, so that the different portionsfare pre sented at different "angles-tothe cuttin'g'edges ine tion," of the cuttingblock and die according to the invention; i

Fig. 3, is a trans versecross-section'through' the cutting block and'die illustrating the cutting operation upon a strip-of material; 1

Fig. 4 is alongitudinal cross-section on 1ine 44'of Fig.3, a v

"Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a'str'ip of material and from Fig. 6' is a perspective of'bevel'ed lifts according to the invention. f Theilli'istrated' machine, as shown inyFig.

with its cutting edges uppermost anda cutting'block 12, c'onnected to a pitman 14,*mo vdisclosed in United "States Letters Patent No.

1,291,726, granted'Jan. 21, 1919, on application of YV. G. Baxter, and'reference 'may be had to the aforementioned Letters Patent for machine not fully described herein.

a more detailed description of parts of the 'The i'llu'strated machineis .especiallydesigned tofacilitate the "dieing out of heel is difierent portions ofthe'material to besev- V a lift which has been cut there- View of aheel 1011115 'so 1, comprises a "stationary die 10 supported lifts in such a manner that each lift will be formed with beveled side and back edge portions and a breast edgeportion substantially perpendicularto the faces of the lift.

To this end, the lower face of the cutting block 12 is bulgedoutwardly as shown in Fig. 2 so that upondescent of the cutting block a strip of flexible material 16 (Fig. l) such as rubber, leather, or leatherboard, supported on the upper surface of :the die '10, will be bent and thus deformed into suchposition that a portion of its surface will be presented to the die at an acuteangletoone cuttingedge-thereof and so that another portion of the surface of the material will be presented to the die a't ni ht angles. to another cutting edge, continned downward movement of the cutting block resulting in therformation of a'iheel lift blank such as is indicated by the numeral 18.

llhat'portion:oif theablock .12 which serves to force into the die the material to form the back of a lift isshar-ply-curvedlongitudinally of the block 12, as shown in Figs. 2a-nd4between the ,points20 and 22. This portion of the block surfaceas also curved in a lateral direction, transverse sections being similar in shape .tothe: sectionfdisclosed in Fig. 3 but decreasing in size toward point 22. The remainder of the lowest surface -of the .block whichser-ves toforce into the I die .the materi al forming the part of alift adjacent -.to the breast edge, extends longitudinally from 20 to2 l, and is curved in a transverse direction only, is shown in Figs. 2, "3 and l.

' In ordertoensure clean cutting of the materkialgthe cutting block 12 is ,provided with grooves 26land 28 adapted .toreceiave the cutting-edgesiofzthe die 10. For a description of similar grooves and the manner is which they are formed referencemaybehadto the aforementioned Letters Patent.

The die 10 is provided with a U-shaped cut-, ting=edge 30 adapted .tocoeoperate witht-he blocksurface along the groove -26 to produce the fcurvedside-and 'backedge portions of a heel lift. The .die 'lO-is further provided with an edge-32, concave in shape, andtegtending substantially in-aplane at right angles to the plane ioftheedge'30 in'orderclosely to con formto the surfacevof the cutting-block along thegroove28. Preferably, the edge 32 is also slightly .curvedinwardly in a order to. produce acorrespondingly curved breast edge on lifts. Interior :walls 34: and 36 of the idieare perp endi'cular to the,plane of .thfi .Ueshaped cut-. ting edgeSO: Consequently-each element of the surfaceseonstituting the .U-shaped edge portion-of'alift 18 as itisforced into the die during the dieing-out operation .will be perpendicularzto .theupper surface of the strip 16 as supported, onthe edge 30 .of the die before distortion of "the .material, and at an angle with respectlto the surface of'thematerialas it .is-held in distorted position. Atthe same timeythe surface of the breast edge portion of a 11ft as a is forced into the die Win be perpendicular to the upper surface of the strip 16 v as originally supported on the die.

In utilizing the apparatus above described, a strip of flexible material such as, for example,r.ubber, leather or leatherboard, isp positioned on the die 10 and the cutting block 12 is moved toward the die. As the block descends the lower surface thereof -wii1l :contact with-the surface oftheis'trip, deforming lit in such manner that thatpart of said strip surface over the die assumes a shape closely conforming *tot he surface o-f-the block. Upon further descent of the block, the material so therareaaboundedbyithezcuttingedges 30.and

32.0fthedie10. Conseguenflyathere will be no sharp breakinthe curvature ofthe mate'- rial near the cuttin edgesas theyblank is deformed, and .the portions of Ithe block surface outside .of-thegfioaves26 and 28 willassistin 'pressing-themateria1 firmlyuponrtheedgesof the-die.

. .Qn removaltof ailift ,fromthe die, the mate rial was held in distorted position in the the will spring back .into' its aeriginal ,po-

sitiomthus formingbexgeled edgeson-the-back and 'sides of .thel i-ft, and since the material formingthebreast-edge portion waS .-be.nt substantially alqng .theline of cutwhich .Wa made perpendicular to the. lift -S11 f&e th breast dg d .theli-ft will be substantially atrightanglestothe facesofthedift.

Elhe .die iand .cutting' block, as :shown, {are suitahlefor the production-of lifts of one size Only,;but.it willbeapparent that lifts of uarioussizes may :be formed in V a similar manner tymaisng .use, of .dies .;o.f {different sizes. Lifts of the type shown and described may be utilized .in building .heels. In this event ,one .;or more series of ,lifts of graded sizes such as .lifts18, 138andl0 (Fig.6) are produced, ,the bevel of each lift 1 corresponding to the bevel of the heel of Whichit ,is

to:fo.rm. a ,part,and the lifts are assembled in :a graded vIheel pile such .th at curved back and. side surfacesfofthelifts form.the.pitched surfaces of :a heel, .and .the' vertical breast edge surfaces of the lifts ,form the breast surface of the heel. In this manner. 'a'Fhel pile is formed substantially ,to the final size and shape .of a finished LheL.

.Itjsitoibe understood that, While.llliislin- V vention .has been illustrated and described in connection withl'heels and parts thereof,

the apparatus xmayfbe used for the productiono'f otherishoeparts.

T'Having described the invention, ha is claimed .asfnew' and desired 'to secure by LettersiPatent oftheUnited Statesis:

I, r In a machine fb roducing heel lifts,

afdie having a plurality ofcutting edges,

and a cutting block'having a convex surface of varylng curvature andof substantially greater area than thatbounded by the cutting edges of the die, the construction and arrangement being such that one of the cutting edges is of substantially the same curvature as that of a portion of the convex surface for co-operation therewith in forming the side and back edge'portions of a blank, and

another cutting edgeis of substantially the same curvature as another portion of the block surface" for co-operation therewith in forming the breast edge portion of the blank.

2. In a machine for dieing-out heel lifts, a cutting block having a curvedsurface, and

I I a die'provided with a U-shaped cutting edge breast edge portion ofthe heel lift.

3. In a machine for dieing-out heel lifts, a cutting block and a die arranged for movement relatively toeach other for eifecting dieing-out operations upon sheet material,

the cutting block being provided with a'convex surface, the di'e being providedwith a cutting edge of a shape corresponding to .portions of the surface of the-block extending in a longitudinaldirection for co-operating with said surface during a dieing-out, operation to form the side and back edges of a heel lift, the die also being'provided with a second cutting edge of a shape corresponding to the curvature of the block in a transverse direction for ,co-operating With the cutting block surface to form the breast edge portion of a heel lift. V 4. In a machine for operating on sheet material to produce shoe-part blanks, a cutting block, and a die having cutting edges, means for moving the cutting bloc-k relatively to the die to effect dieing-out operationson sheet material, the'block having a convex surface of substantially greater area than that bounded by the cutting edges of the die for forcing the material into the die to j'form blanks, and the die'havinga plurality of cutting edges extending at diiferent angles with respect to vthe cutting .block surface for co-operation "therewith in producing blanks having lateral surfaces extending at various angles to the faces of the blanks.

5. A heel-lift die comprising vertical side walls terminating in a U-shaped cutting edge, and in a connectingibreast cutting edge, the

breast cuttingedge terminating short of the plane of the U-shapedfcutting edge; 7

6, A heel-lift die comprising a U-shaped cutting edge, and'a concave breast cutting.

edgeextending from the ends of the U-shaped cutting edge and at an angle to the plane. of the U-shaped edge. I 7

7. A heel-lift die having a U-shaped cute ting'edge for producing theside and back edge portions of a heel lift, and a concave edge extending substantially in a plane at right anglesto the plane of the U-shaped edge for producing the breast edge portion of the heel lift.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my 1 7 name to this specification.

; JOHN RICHARDSON; 

